Whiffletree-hook.



W. M. WADLEIGH.

WHIFFLETREB HOOK.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 25, 1908.

949,556. Patented Feb. 15,1910.

ploy to practically accomplish this object or WILLIAM M. WADLEIG'H,

OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

WHIFFLETREE-HOOK.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM M. WVAD- LEIGH, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing in Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in\Vhiflietree-Hooks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in whiflletree hooks.

The object of my invention is to provide a one piece whifHetree hook ofa simple, strong, efficient and durable construction, having an integralsocket member for attachment to the whiflietree, and in which the hookwill be of such construction as to enable the eye of the trace or tug tobe readily and conveniently hooked or unhooked, and which at the sametime will be safe and reliable against accidental unhooking, in whichthe free endor point of the hook will be effectually guarded fromcatching in the horses tail or extraneous objects, and in which thetrace-eye will be prevented from swinging inward over the shank portionof the hook or otherwise getting into a locked or cramped position whereit is liable to be broken by strain of the tug or trace, and in whichthe trace-eye (thus prevented from swinging inward) in connection withthe rearwardly curved or inclined shape of the prong or free arm of thehook will serve to guide the hook as a whole and the end of thewhiflletree past extraneous objects against which the same mightotherwise strike.

My invention consists in the means I emresult, as herein shown anddescribed and more particularly specified in the claims.

hat is to say, it consists in a whiffletree having an integral socketportion fitting on the end of the whiffletree, in connection with doubleshank portion, the upper and lower limbs of which are furnished withhorizontally projecting wings having rearwardly inclined or curved outeredges to serve as guards to protect the point of the hook, and providedwith an integral prong or free arm projecting horizontally andsubstantially atright angles to the outer or looped end of the doubleshank at its inner edge and rearwardly curved or inclined at its outeredge, said prong being furnished with a bent end and an integral guardprojecting and eX- tending inwardly between the upper and Specificationof Letters Patent.

Application filed March 25, 1908.

lower limbs of the double shank of the hook Patented Feb-15, 1910.

Serial No. 423,204.

and forming a notch or socket to receive the trace-eye, the front orlooped end of the double shank of the hook serving as a guard to preventthe trace-eye from swinging in ward, and the guard on the bent end orrear- Wardly projecting portion of the prong or free arm of the hookcooperating with the rearwardly inclined wings of the upper and lowershank members to effectually lock the trace-eye in the hook so that itcannot become accidentally unhooked; while at the same time thetrace-eye is easily and conveniently hooked and unhooked by simplyturning the trace-eye outward until it can he slipped over the trace-eyeguard on the free arm of the hook and over the point of the hook. Therearwardly curved or inclined outer edge of the prong of the hook inconnection with means for preventing the trace-eye from swinging inwardcauses the trace and trace-eye and this rearwardly inclined outer edgeof the hook prong and the inclined outer edges of the wings on the shankportion of the hook to guide or deflect the hook as a whole and thewhifiletree past posts or extraneous objects against which the samemight otherwise strike.

My invention also consists in the novel construction of parts anddevices, and in the novel combinations of parts and devices herein shownand described.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, Figure1 is a plan view of a whiffietree furnished with hooks embodying myinvention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view partly in horizontal section.Fig. 3 is an end view of a whiffletree showing the hook in elevation,and Fig. 4 is a section on line &-4l of Fig. 2.

In the drawing, A represents a whittletree, B the swingle-tree hook andCthe tug or trace having the customary eye D. The hook B is preferablyof malleable iron or other tough metal, and comprises an inte gralsocket member Z), fitting the end of the whifiletree, an integral doubleshank member 6 the upper and lower limbs of which have a curved orlooped front end 6 integrally joining them, and an integral free arm orprong Z2 springing or projecting horizontally and at its inner edgesubstantially at right angles to the double shank of the hook at theouter looped end 5 thereof and having its outer edge 6 rearwardly curvedor inclined, and which prong or free arm is furnished with a rearwardlyextending bent end or arm 6 terminating in a point 6 and furnished withan integral guard or projection Z1 which projects inward between theupper and lower limbs Z2 of the double shank. The upper and lower limbsof the double shank are each furnished with horizontal and outwardlyprojecting integral wings 79 having curved or inclined edges Z2 Thelooped end Z2 of the double shank b has a rearwardly projecting web orwidened portion 6 to form a broad base for the free arm or prong b ofthe hook. The traceeye guard b on the free arm or prong of the hookforms with said prong a socket 6 to receive the trace-eye, and the mouth6 of this socket, it will be seen from Figs. 1 and 2, extends betweenthe upper and lower limbs 39 ot' the double shank and is substantiallyclosed by the outwardly extending wings b of said shank limbs 5 The openspace between the upper and lower limbs b of the double shank somewhatexceeds the vertical dimension or width of the trace-eye D so that whenthe trace-eye is turned outwardly, it may then be slipped inwardlybetween the shank limbs b sufiiciently to cause it to pass the guard Z)and point 6 of the hook and thus be unhooked. The free arm or prong b ofthe hook projects centrally between the upper and lower limbs of thedouble shank b and the bent end or arm 6 of such prong extends betweenthe guard wings b so that these wings b effectually guard and protectthe point of the hook and thus prevent anything from catching on thehook point. The looped portion Z2 of the double shank Z2 of the hook issufliciently extended vertically at 6 to prevent the trace-eye fromswinging inward over the double shank of the hook and thus getting intoa kinked or locked position.

As will be readily understood from Figs. 1 and 2, the rearwardly curvedor inclined outer edge I) of the hooked prong b in connection with thevertical extension Z2 of the loop portion 6 of the hook shank whichprevents the trace-eye D from turn ing or swinging inward over the shankof the hook causes the trace C and trace-eye D to effectually guide ordeflect the hook as a whole and the whiflietree past posts or extraneousobjects against which the same might otherwise strike.

I claim v I 1. A one piece whiilietree hook having an integral socketmember, integral upper and lower shank members furnished with out wardlyprojecting inclined guard wings extending to the outer end of saidsocket member, and having a looped or curved portion at their outer endsintegrally joining them, and a tree arm or prong springing from thecurved front end of the double shank, and provided with a bent arm and apoint and trace-eye guard projecting between and within the guard wingsof the double shank, said curved outer end of the double shank servingas a guard to prevent the trace-eye from turning inward over the shank,and said guard on the prong or free arm of\the hook in connection withthe wings on the upper and lower limbs of the double shank serving asguards to lock the trace-eye from accidentally unhooking, andsaid guardwings on the upper and lower limbs of the double shank also serving asguards to protect the point of the hook, said whiilletree hook having anopen space between the socket member and the point of the hook andbetween the guard wings of the shank members to admit the trace-eye inhooking and unhooking the same substantially as specified.

2. A one piece whiflletreehook having an integral socket member,integral double shank members and an integral prong member connectedwith the shank members at their front curved end, said curved end of thedouble shank serving as a guard to prevent the trace-eye from turninginward over the shank, said prong member having a guard and a pointprojecting between the upper and lower limbs of the double shank, saiddouble shank having outwardly projecting guard wings extending to theouter end of said socket member, said whiflietree hook having an openspace between the socket member and the point of the hook and betweenthe guard wings of the shank members to admit the trace-eye in hookingand unhooking the same substantially as specified.

WILLIAM M. lVADLEIGrH.

Witnesses H. M. MUNDAY, EDMUND ADcocK.

